Aeroflot Flight SU 270 took off from Moscow shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday and arrived in Bangkok shortly after 8 a.m. Monday. The Boeing 777 hit several areas of severe turbulence while the plane was about 40 minutes away from its destination. After the turbulence stopped, passenger Evgenia Zibrova filmed what the cabin looked like and posted it online.
In her post, Zibrova described the result of the numerous air pockets the plane encountered. She wrote people were thrown into the aisles and the floor was littered with people, food, drinks and luggage. According to Zibrova, some of the injured were unconscious and some appeared to have broken noses and possibly broken spines. Some babies on the flight were “covered in bruises.”
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Twenty-five people were taken to hospital after the flight landed and two required emergency surgery. Others were treated for their injuries at the scene but refused further treatment. Those injured were said to have been sitting on the aisles. Of the 27 people injured, 24 were Russians while the other three were Thai nationals.
Three babies suffered broken spines after they were torn from the arms of their mothers.
Vladimir Sosnov, head of the Russian Consulate in Thailand, said “Apparently, those who were injured did not have their seat belts on.” Interfax reports a source told them the plane had not yet begun its descent into the airport at the time the turbulence occurred and passengers had not been told to fasten their seat belts. The Daily Mail reports the turbulence happened when the sky was clear and the crew did not have time to warn the passengers. Aeroflot described the crew as experienced; the pilot had flown more than 23,000 hours and the co-pilot 10,000.
According to Aeroflot, there were 313 passengers on board the flight. As of 7 a.m. EDT Monday, 14 passengers remain in hospital while 11 have been discharged.
Thailand is a popular tourist destination for Russians and Aeroflot flies two flights a day between Moscow and Bangkok. The airline said they will cover the medical expenses of the injured passengers.
